Why Is Gozinaki Main Dessert For The New Year’s Table?

The New
Year’s celebration has already started… For many Georgians it’s a
family celebration. At exactly 12 o’clock family members give each other some
sweet wishing Happy New Year. What is the main sweet for the day?

Honey and walnuts in Georgia were considered to be a sacred food and were supposed to be the main dessert for the feast of celebrations. These products were sacrificed to pagan deities, even Lords. Even today, in the mountainous regions of Georgia exists the tradition of having a bowl of honey with the other sweets on the New Year’s table. That’s why the dessert Gozinaki, made of honey and nuts, is the most important attributes of the New Year table.

Before Gozinaki, on New Year’s table there was Avakhazi, which is considered to be the ancestor of Gozinaki. In order to make Alvakhazi, cook honey very well until it reaches the soft crack stage. Allow it to cool until just barely lukewarm, then beat with a wooden spoon until light and creamy and with lightly greased hands stretch and pull until it is stiff and very pale. It is not easy to cook it and also takes much time, so today almost nobody cooks it.

Gozinaki is made of caramelized walnuts fried in honey. Instead of walnuts you can use peanuts or sunflower seeds.